On the Hunt For the Perfect Black Boot
The Black Boot. It is a vital part of every woman’s wardrobe. Whether it be an ankle boot, a riding boot, or a high-heeled knee boot. Every boot serves a purpose and fills a need in your wardrobe. So, confession time, my wardrobe has been devoid of a black heeled knee boot for years. Mostly because after an ankle injury 5 years ago I was far from enthused to wear heels, but as you know by now I wear them all the time. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been obsessing over finding the perfect pair at the right price. This means lots and lots of research.
The first thing when finding your pair of perfect boots is to know exactly what you’re looking for. In other words, know your style and your needs and how the boot should work within your wardrobe. For me I want to find a boot that is black leather. I want the boot to be knee-length so that I can wear it with skirts or jeans. And the heel has to be 3″ or less because I do a lot of walking and need to be comfortable. I want to find a boot with a supple, buttery leather without any decorative hardware, so that they are versatile and I can wear them for years. My search led me to La Garconne, one of my favorite online stores, that is having a HUGE sale right now. They have the most incredible selection of boots. Here are some of my favorite styles that I considered:
My personal favorite from Fiorentini + Baker. Simple stitching, piecing, and a subtle platform. But they look a little brown and the description on the site doesn’t help. Damn it.
These gorgeous Loeffler Randall boots run a close second and make me want to reconsider my lack of hardware rule.
These Sigerson Morrison boots are perfect but too short for my body type.
If I was in need of an ankle boot, these Acne Jeans boots would be perfect with a skirt or jeans.
These Zucca boots would SOOOOO be mine if I were looking for a flat leather boot. I love their edgy buckle detail.
The perfect black riding boot from Golden Goose. But I already have a perfect black riding boot, so no again.
Well, the search continues. It’s too bad I didn’t find what I was looking for but these styles could fit into your wardrobe or inspire you to find your perfect pair. 
***Music today: Ratatat “Remixes Volume 2″. Getting ready for dancing it up for New Years.
My Favorite Modern Style Icon
When I started this blog I knew there was only a matter of time until I brought up Kate Moss, my absolute favorite modern style icon. Kate doesn’t follow trends, she effortlessly creates them. She knows that fashion is not style because style can’t be bought. Style is classic and personal and that’s why she dresses for herself. She wears her favorite pieces over and over again mixing high with low, modern with vintage, formal with informal, and everything with denim. Her pieces have loads of personality and integrity. Instead of wearing a vintage inspired dress she’ll wear an actual vintage dress. And when it’s muddy she’ll throw on the authentic Hunter wellingtons rather than the over-priced knock-off rain boot. Most of her clothes are in neutral colors so they can be mixed with everything and withstand the test of time. She makes it all seem so effortless because she doesn’t take it so seriously.
When I was in college I was having brunch with my roommate Mollie at this little cafe in the West Village when Kate and a friend sat at a nearby table. The truth was that if she wasn’t famous I would’ve just thought she was a normal cool girl. She was tiny and smiley and just had the coolest style. Every eye in the place was on her and I’m guessing that even if she wasn’t famous everyone still would have been staring because she’s that friggin’ cool.
Here are some of my favorite recent Kate looks:
Rock n’ roll in all black.
Kate with Naomi. Whose style looks more effortless and modern to you? Well, that’s a trick question.
Kate with her cool musician boyfriend from the Kills. They kinda dress alike, but I assume not on purpose, which I dig. I love the simple, very French, striped tee mixed with the polka-dot scarf, cut-off shorts and tights. Come to think of it, cut-off shorts and tights were my standard outfit all throughout high school… I tried to do it a couple years ago, but maybe I’ll try that again.
Love this close-up because you can see the pinstripe of her jacket and how great it mixes with her scarf and the grey alligator bag.
A white tee with black leather pants, a tuxedo jacket, and a flirty sequined shirt peaking out from underneath, dressing the whole thing up.
Kate in this menswear-inspired tailored mini-dress and strappy flats.
Kate in a flirty white blouse, black leggings, and black boots.
Everyday grey denim, that same striped tee and a cute fur trimmed coat with her black boots. Now imagine this outfit with sneakers. Would it look as cool? Nope. The boots dress it up and bring up the cool factor.
Basic black for evening with a vintage sequin cape and understated accessories.
Kate in a printed dress and black skinny blazer, black tights, and her black boots again. Her studded belt adds a little something unexpected.
Kate in a flirty pleated white blouse, high-waisted pants. platform sandals, and a similar studded belt.
Kate in a vintage rock n’ roll tee, grey skinny denim, a grey blazer and hat. She borrowed my Minnetonka moccasins, but I don’t care. She looks great in them.
A white tee, black leggings, cashmere navy cardigan, and a super comfy-looking beast-like sweater.
A super-sexy embellished black dress with black sandals. Couldn’t get much easier.
Here’s that animal print scarf again mixed with a white tee, a vest, a tweed jacket, skinny jeans and studded belt. The quirkiest part, which I love, is the green beaded bracelet.
Leopard print coat with black skinny jeans, boots, and gorgeous YSL bag.
Kate likes her animal prints. It figures since they’re timeless. The coat looks perfect with her bare legs and simple black flats.
Kate looking very Audrey with her navy blouse, over-sized glasses, skinny ankle jeans, and black flats.
An Alaia black leather corset paired with a black tank and leggings.
***Music today. Okkervil River “The Stand Ins”.
Bag Lust
Handbags are an important part of every woman’s wardrobe. I lust after handbags as much as the next girl but I have very clear guidelines when I buy. #1 The handbag must be versatile #2 It must be unique without outshining me (in other words no huge logos) #3 It must keep me organized so compartments are a must.
When building your handbag wardrobe, keep in mind that it’s easy to get into a handbag rut. In other words, always buying the same style, the same color, or buying multiple bags that fulfill the same purpose. Every bag in your wardrobe should be unique unto itself. Always keep in mind that a handbag can make or break an outfit so don’t settle. You should LOVE every purchase you make. I would suggest starting your bag wardrobe with these “basics” and then growing it from there:
-1 everyday leather or leather-like bag (neutral colors such as black, grey, or brown are best)
-1 evening/special occasion bag (metallics, black, or white)
-1 carry-all (any solid color, animal print, or metallic)
A couple of years ago I found this phenomenal Brooklyn-based brand called Hayden-Harnett. Their bags are smart and sophisticated but have a slight modern edginess to them. When you wear a Hayden-Harnett bag you don’t feel as though you’re a walking advertisement for the company but rather that the bag enhances every outfit that you pair it with. Their quality is unparalleled but the prices are incredibly affordable. Here are some of my favorite bags from their current collection:
a perfect basic every-day bag
a copper metallic tote
perfect for everyday with a feather accessory for some added personality
patent adds a little more glamour to a basic
a funkier approach for day
my absolute favorite tote
oversized shoulder bag in blue
metallic clutch for evening
my favorite black leather clutch
a colorful ornate clutch to add opulence
funky shoulder bag
retro print modernized with leather and hardware
***Music today. The Flaming Lips “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots”.
My Guilty Pleasure
Okay, I have to admit the first time I heard the name “Lipstick Jungle” I cringed. I didn’t want to like the show but then I got hooked on the fashion and the slightly dramatic story line. I ended up falling in love with the characters Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields), the film exec, Nico Reilly (Kim Raver), the magazine editor, and Victory Ford (Lindsay Price), the fashion designer. But mostly I fell in love with Amy Roth, the show’s costume designer. Each of the characters is always dressed perfectly to the nines. The show is based on Candace Bushnell’s book “Sex and the City” so there have been obvious comparisons but Lipstick Jungle’s clothes are just as fabulous but more accessible than Sex and the City’s clothes. You can get lots of ideas from an episode of Lipstick Jungle.
Wendy’s white blouse with a gorgeously dramatic pendant. Nico’s white dress belted with a contrast red belt.
Another shot of those two outfits.
Victory’s adorable white pencil skirt paired with a printed blouse and a brown leather belt.
One of my favorite Nico Reilly outfits, a pink cashmere v-neck, khaki pencil skirt, tonal necklace, red shoes, and silver bag.
Perfect for the office.
A detail of that outfit. Love that necklace.
Victory in a colorful silk blouse, sequined jacket and bangle.
Nico’s simple dress with dramatic ropes of gold chains. Wendy’s patterned blouse with dark denim and flats accessorized with a simple necklace (the bracelets are eyeball ring were props for the halloween episode)
Even picture perfect for a funeral. The three ladies in gorgeous black dresses all accessorized with statement necklaces.
Wendy’s classic trench and accessories, very Love Story. Nico’s eggplant-colored shearling coat, navy skirt, and cream colored cashmere turtleneck. And my personal favorite, Victory’s ultra-feminine belted navy coat paired with opulent earrings and a mini skirt.
For evening, for evening why not belt your gown?
I’m even re-thinking headbands. (Shelly, don’t get any ideas!).
***Music today. Everything But The Girl “Amplified Heart”.
Ba-da-Bling
Who doesn’t love jewelry? I don’t own a lot of fine jewelry but I’m thinking that I want to change that. Especially after assisting Dina Sutter, my boyfriend’s mother, during her most recent jewelry show at a holiday boutique in affluent Franklin Lakes, NJ. Dina has wonderful natural style which translates into her jewelry design. Dina’s jewelry is all 18 karat gold and she only uses semi-precious and precious stones. Most of her pieces are one-of-a-kind but she also does custom work. You can contact her through her website www.dinasutter.com.
Now for some eye candy. Enjoy.
Dina’s friend Barbara’s custom earrings.
Barbara’s custom necklace.
Emerald necklace. One of my faves.
Rock crystal bracelets.
Another one of my faves. So delicate and elegant.
Dina’s signature drop pendant necklaces. Mind you, my photography doesn’t do justice to either one of these pieces.
Another favorite of mine, these gold mesh earrings.
Have you seen these before? I wore them to Jen and Eric’s wedding back in September, also known as my first post. Dina elongated them since then.
Purty.
The beads of the necklace are diamonds! I love the delicate little paisleys on this piece.
More of my favorite earrings. Again, my photography doesn’t do justice.
These are the earrings I got to wear that night. All of the stones are tourmaline. Tourmaline comes in many different colors.
Another simple and elegant piece.
Beautiful gold earrings.
Gorgeous emerald earrings. I love the little paisleys on top.
Elegant gold necklace and tiny little matching earrings.
The necklaces I was fortunate enough to model. The chunky one is watermelon tourmaline. P.S. This turtleneck is not sheer, I swear! It’s my damn flash.
Here’s Dina looking fabulous in an Escada suit, Prada boots, and jewelry of her own design. Notice two necklaces, not one.
I love that.
***Music today. Madonna “Madonna”.
Lovely Jennifer
I’d like to give props to Jen. Jen is a client who just happens to be turning into a star pupil, but most importantly she’s a very good friend. She’s in her early 30’s. A wife. A mother. A high school teacher. Jen was in a fashion rut, mostly because she and her husband are on a tight budget. I gave her a wardrobe consultation and then took her out shopping this weekend. At the core of it all Jen’s fashion sense is classic with a lot of indie mixed in. The major problem with her wardrobe was that a lot of it was trendy and past its’ prime. She also had a quality issue with some of her clothing. Sweaters that had been laundered too many times that were either misshapen and/or pilling. Bottom line, she had a wardrobe that was not doing her justice. After we purged her closet, I put together some outfits and we made a list of what she was missing, mostly basics and core layering pieces. Within the first half hour of shopping together she was a different person. There was a skip in her step and new-found optimism. We shopped for four hours and found everything on her list and stayed within budget.
This morning I got an e-mail with her first look that she wore to work today and I wanted to share it with all of you because I think she did such a great job putting it together. She looks amazing! Thanks Mike (her husband) for taking the photos.
One of the best perk pieces that we found, a J.Crew yellow peacoat. It makes this outfit and brings out Jen’s funky side. I love how Jen mixed a black and white mini-stripe scarf with it. This peacoat can be worn as a basic everything coat. Most of Jen’s wardrobe is in neutrals or colors that work well with this yellow, so she can wear this coat for work or weekend.
Underneath the peacoat, Jen paired a black DKNY skirt that she already had with two new pieces that we picked up, a basic white button-up shirt from J.Crew and a grey cashmere v-neck from Saks. Perfect for work.
To accessorize the outfit she chose a funky stone pendant that she already owned and a stone bracelet that one of her best friends made for her.
She finishes the outfit with these beautiful BCBG black boots that we picked up. The ruching detail at the toe and heal give these boots tons of understated personality. They’re perfect with skirts, dresses, under trousers or jeans.
Bravo Jen! Keep it up!
***Music today. Pixies “Surfer Rosa”.
Joe’s Art Show
My friend Joe is a renaissance man. He’s amazing at everything he does. He plays music. He cooks. He’s a sommelier. He’s an artist. He’s a graphic designer. He makes climbing films. He’s the editor-in-chief of Urban Climber magazine. He’s a great husband to his wife Rachelle, and a great father to his son Hudson. The other night he had the opening to his solo art show at Day One Skate Shop in Bridgeport, CT featuring some of his new paintings. Day One threw a great party and I was lucky enough to attend.
I wore a Madewell white v-neck t-shirt and my beloved Duarte jeans with a red Madewell hoodie and a navy Club Monaco wool/cashmere jacket. I know Stacy and Clinton and Tim Gunn don’t believe in hoodies but I’m a normal person and I love hoodies as long as they’re the right hoodies. In other words, make sure they fit. I’m also not a huge fan of any logo hoodies that proclaim their brand in bold letters across your chest. No thanks. I’m not a billboard. Hoodies are warm and cozy and as long as they’re paired with the right pieces, they’re great for layering.
Here’s a detail of my wonderful navy jacket from Club Monaco that I live in when it’s cold out. When buttoned all the way up it has an amazing funnel neck. Very chic and very versatile.
I accessorized the outfit with a beautiful wool Gap Red scarf and a Subversive for Target super long necklace. As I just said to one of my clients, accessories are the soul of an outfit. They’re what bring your personality into anything you wear.
My super cool Subversive for Target necklace. My tip with accessories is that you only buy what you truly LOVE. And don’t buy anything that looks cheap. This necklace may have been inexpensive but it has tons of unique personality.
These are vintage Guess boots which were a recent gift from a client. (Thanks Tracy!!! I love them!!!) I’m guessing they’re from the early 90’s, but wouldn’t you know that they still work now.
Some of Joe’s work.
A series that was inspired by some of his skateboard designs.
Nick Cave, anyone?
The artist himself, Joe Iurato.
***Music today. Smashing Pumpkins, “Machina”.
Whatever Happened to Lauryn Hill?
Whether you love her, hate her, or are confused by her. We can all agree on two things. #1 Lauryn Hill has talent and #2 She had some killer style back in the day. The other night my boyfriend and I were watching Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (filmed back in 2004) featuring the Fugees during their brief reunion. I was reminded how much I love Lauryn and how much I admired her personal sense of style. I love how she effortlessly feminizes menswear with her mastery of accessories. It’s ALL about the accessories.
I thought we’d all benefit from looking back at some of Lauryn’s best fashion moments from the past:
The Fugees performing for Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. Check out Lauryn wearing a men’s white button-up shirt peaking out from under a belted over-sized military jacket and worn with wide leg cropped white trousers. She’s accessorized the outfit with gold bangles, huge gold earrings, a ring, high heels, and to add some extra hip-hop flavor, a New York Yankees hat.
A tiny detail of her earrings.
Here she is performing at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing the same genius pants as above, this time she paired them with a cowl-neck sleeveless top and accessorized with high heel boots, gold bangles, huge gold hoops and rose colored sunglasses. These pants are the perfect length to show off her fabulous heels. (I wish I could have found a full-length photo. I tried, I swear. But nothing.)
An early image of Lauryn. Again, notice a menswear military shirt but accessorized with a super feminine head scarf.
Dramatic bracelets and a chunky hand-knit orange hat accessorize this layered look.
Super sexy in a low cut black dress topped with a kimono and worn with delicate Indian-inspired gold jewelry, a white bangle, and a white scarf.
Here she is in a striped button-up shirt worn under a jacket or sweater and paired with super dramatic huge beaded earrings and a patterned scarf.
In this photo she artfully mixes textures by combining a black leather jacket with a grey heather cashmere scarf, bamboo bangles, and (oh look, there it is again) the same white bangle from above.
Here she is in what is likely a silk pattern button-up blouse topped with a classic trench and accessorized with her signature over-sized earrings and bangles. Gorgeous.
***Music today. What else could it be? Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill“.
